Lord, a Vessel Thou Has Fashioned

Lord

a ves­sel Thou hast fa­shioned

Not to serve the world we see

Where the snares of fu­tile pass­ion

Seek to re-en­vel­op me

But to move in right­eous free­dom

In the world of my first birth

By ad­vanc­ing in Thy king­dom

For Thy use up­on the earth.

Wealth and plea­sure gild the mar­riage

Of hell’s words to va­ni­ty—

Binding all the cursed that per­ish;

Lost in dust eter­nal­ly.

Prune in me that which is emp­ty

All that wi­thers as a flow­er.

Grow in me of heav­en’s plen­ty

Giving in­crease by Thy pow­er.

Thou hast freed us like a spar­row

Reaching to­ward an up­ward goal

Of Thy call­ing

near yet nar­row

From hell’s chains to heav­en’s fold;

Lift my heart to know the voic­es

Of Thy praise in heav­en sung

And be­low to count the choic­est

Earthly trea­sures as but dung.

We have died in Thee now ris­en

To the Fa­ther’s throne above

Where our life is firm­ly hid­den

In Thy fel­low­ship of love.

Help my hands be true and ho­ly

And my feet stead­fast and sure

That my works at Thy ap­pear­ing

Will as gold and jew­els en­dure.